A vacuum glass formed by compounding a plurality of glass plates gains attention owing to excellent sound proof and heat insulating performance thereof, and becomes a research subject.
The existing sealing methods for the vacuum glass are mainly as follows:
(1) Use frits with a low melting point to be melted for sealing, wherein the sealing temperature is 400-500° C. or so in general, and by means of flame or electrical heating, the frits with the low melting point are melted so as to complete the compound sealing between the glass plates. The frit with the low melting point used by the process is usually lead-zinc series (PbO—ZnO) sealing glass material, and such material is deemed as against to environmental protection requirements for its future development since lead is harmful to the environment and human bodies. Meanwhile, equipment and processes for processing the material are complicated, and the glass plates after compound sealing can also generate boundary heat stress frequently, thereby needing an additional proper annealing treatment which greatly lowers the production efficiency.(2) Adopt various plastic or resin materials to carry out the compound sealing between the glass plates. Some patent documents mention that organic glasses such as PC, ABS, LDPE, PVC and the like are used, sandwich glass materials such as PVB, EVA (EN) and the like are used in some patent documents, and processing methods for the materials are always as follows: place the above materials between two glass plates to be made into prefabricated parts, and then press the prefabricated parts under appropriate conditions. Such process is similar to the process for manufacturing sandwich glasses, and can realize the compound sealing between glass plates. However, it is difficult to guarantee the leakage at the joints because the gas permeability and moisture permeability of majorities of the plastic and resin materials are far greater than those of glasses, and majorities of the organic materials are only physically bonded with surfaces of the glass plates; and decrease in sealing strength, interlayer dewing and mildewing of glass will be directly occurred in case of permeation of gases (including water vapor). In addition, the aging of the organic material will have a direct influence on the sealing effect and life of the compounded glass plates as time goes on.
In addition, when the vacuum glass was made by using a plurality of glass plates in the past, sealing of the edges of the glass plates was completed generally by rigidly connecting the edges of the plurality of glass plates, whose structure is shown as FIG. 1. Because the vacuum glass has excellent heat insulating performance, during in use, the inner and outer glass plates easily generate great temperature difference, the glass plate at the high-temperature side is expanded, and the glass plate at the low-temperature side is shrunk; no matter the vacuum glass of the structure shown as the FIG. 1 is used as a glass window or a heat insulating member, temperature deformation shown as FIG. 2 is easily generated; and once the stress formed by the deformation on the sealed edges of the glass plates exceeds the bearing limit of the sealed edges, the vacuum glass is inevitably damaged, and danger is brought to the place using of the vacuum glass.
Invention Contents
Aiming at defects in the prior art, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a method for sealing vacuum glass, which is simple and convenient in process and reliable and firm in sealing. The vacuum glass sealed by using the method can well adapt to the deformation generated by the temperature difference between the inner and outer glass plates. Heavy high temperature stress formed on the sealed edges is avoided, and the using safety of the vacuum glass is ensured. The present invention also provides a vacuum glass product processed according to the sealing method of the present invention. For this purpose, the method for sealing the vacuum glass according to the present invention comprises the following steps:
1) preparing metallized layers consolidated with glass plates on the surface to be sealed at the edge of the glass plates by the known sintering process; and
2) connecting a metal sealing sheet between the metallized layers of the two glass plates to be sealed in an air-tight welding manner to realize air-tight sealing of the edges of the two glass plates.
Further, the sintering process comprises the following steps:
1-1) preparing a metal paste coating on the surfaces to be sealed on the edges of the glass plates; and
1-2) heating the glass plates to sinter the metal paste coating into the metallized layers consolidated with the glass plates.
Further, the metal paste coating is prepared on the surfaces of the glass plates in a manner of dip coating, spray coating, screen printing, manual coating or mechanical coating.
Further, the metal sealing sheet consists of two metal sheets; when the edges of the two glass plates are sealed in an air-tight manner, the two metal sheets are alternatively connected with the metallized layers on the two glass plates to be sealed in an air-tight welding manner by a metal brazing process or an ultrasonic welding process, and the two metal sheets are connected in an air-tight welding manner to realize air-tight sealing of the edges of the two glass plates.
Further, after the two metal sheets are respectively led out of the connected glass plates, the two metal sheets are mutually connected in an air-tight welding manner by a metal brazing process or an ultrasonic welding process or a melt welding process.
Further, the two metal sheets are led out of the space between the two glass plates to be sealed, and the two metal sheets are respectively connected with the metallized layers on the inner surfaces of the two glass plates to be sealed in an air-tight welding manner.
Further, one of the two metal sheets is led out of the space between the two glass plates to be sealed, the led-out metal sheet is connected with the metallized layer on the inner surface of one glass plate in an air-tight welding manner, and the other metal sheet is connected with the metallized layer on the outer surface of the other glass plate in an air-tight welding manner.
Further, the two metal sheets are respectively connected with the metallized layers on the outer surfaces of the two glass plates to be sealed in an air-tight welding manner.
Further, the metallized layers are prepared on the edges of the glass plates to be sealed; and the metal sealing sheet consists of a metal sheet, and the metal sheet is respectively connected with the metallized layers on the two glass plates to be sealed in an air-tight welding manner by a metal brazing process or an ultrasonic welding process.
Further, the metal sealing sheet consists of a metal sheet, the section of which is U-shaped; and two side edges of the U-shaped metal sheet are respectively connected with the metallized layers on the two glass plates to be sealed in an air-tight welding manner.
Further, the U-shaped metal sheet is positioned between the two glass plates to be sealed, and the side edges of the U-shaped metal sheet are connected with the metallized layers in an air-tight welding manner by the metal brazing process.
Further, the two side edges of the U-shaped metal sheet are positioned between the two glass plates to be sealed and connected with the metallized layers in an air-tight welding manner by the metal brazing process, and the bottom of the U-shaped section of the metal sheet partially extends out of the two glass plates.
Further, one side of the U-shaped metal sheet is positioned between the two glass plates to be sealed and connected with the metallized layer on the inner surface of one glass plate in an air-tight welding manner by a metal brazing process or an ultrasonic welding process, and the other side of the metal sheet bypasses the edge of the other glass plate and then is connected with the metallized layer on the outer surface of the glass plate in an air-tight welding manner by the metal brazing process or the ultrasonic welding process.
Further, the U-shaped metal sheet wraps the edges of the two glass plates to be sealed, and two side edges of the U-shaped metal sheet are respectively connected with the metallized layers on the outer surfaces of the two glass plates in an air-tight welding manner by a metal brazing process or an ultrasonic welding process.
A vacuum glass comprises at least two glass plates compounded mutually, and the rims of the vacuum glass are sealed in an air-tight manner according to the sealing method mentioned above.
By sintering the metallized layers on the surfaces of the glass plates and sealing the edges of the glass plates in an air-tight manner by using the metallized layers and a metal sealing sheet, a brand-new technical means is provided for making the vacuum glass. The method has the advantages of firm connection in sealing positions, high air tightness, favorable thermal shock resistance and the like. Moreover, temperature deformation generated by the temperature difference between the two glass plates to be sealed can be well adapted by adopting the metal sealing sheet, heavy high stress on the sealed edges of the vacuum glass is avoided, and the using safety of the vacuum glass is ensured.
In the diagrams, reference number 1 refers to upper glass plate; reference number 2 refers to lower glass plate; reference number 3 refers to middle support spacer; reference number 4 refers to rigid sealing edge on the existing vacuum glass; reference number 5 refers to vacuum space between two glass plates; reference number 6 refers to metallized layers sintered on the surfaces of the glass plates; reference number 7 refers to metal sheet; reference number 7a refers to upper side edge of the metal sheet 7 with U-shaped section; reference number 7b refers to lower side edge of the metal sheet 7 with U-shaped section; reference number 7-1 refers to upper metal sheet, reference number 7-2 refers to lower metal sheet; reference number 8 refers to middle glass plate, and reference number 9 refers to arc connecting section on the metal sheet 7.